While many may feel franchise fatigue when it comes to Dragon Ball Z games, there's no doubting the serious amount of hype behind Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. This action RPG seems ready to step away from the traditional fighting genre associated with the franchise, while offering tons of fan service in the process. One recent example of this is the revealed inclusion of the Cell Saga's driving episode where Goku and Piccolo attempt to get their license.
Recent translations of the latest Jump Magazine issues not only revealed that, but it also revealed two more playable characters for Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, that Android 16 and Gohan are getting an original story arc, and a brand new original character named Bonyu. Not much is currently known about Bonyu, but the translations revealed some key facts, such as how she is a former member of the Ginyu Force.
As many fans of the Dragon Ball Z franchise will know, the Ginyu Force is an "elite" group of mercenaries that serve under Frieza. They are special troops with the highest level executive class within the Galactic Frieza Army, with Captain Ginyu leading the force, as well as serving as Frieza's right-hand man. Other canonical members include Burter, Recoome, Guldo, and sub-Captain Jeice.
Despite the fact that they are touted as an elite mercenary group, they have always been more comical relief than any real threat. They climax early in the Frieza Saga, with Captain Ginyu getting turned into a frog then, and has appeared in several sagas and iterations of the franchise since such as the Majin Buu Saga, Super's Golden Frieza Saga, and GT's Super 17 saga. It's likely they will also not be more than the butt of the joke, but this does give us a little insight into Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's original character, Bonyu.
As a former member of the Ginyu Force in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, this means that Bonyu once worked under Frieza, meaning that Bonyu is likely not one of the good guys. We know that Bonyu is a female from the same planet as Jeice, likely meaning that she is a Brench-Seijin enemy like him. This alien race is very similar to humans but has a few key differences such as skin pigmentation and agility.
Beyond Jeice, other notable Brench-Seijin include Salza, Doola, and Basco. Although they differ severely in appearance, this is because the Brench-Seijin have varying skin tone pigmentation, as well as an equally varied set of common hair colors. The key difference between Brench-Seijin and humans is how their home planet has incredibly high gravity, making them fast and agile in comparison.
This can be inferred to mean that Bonyu is, like Jeice, fast and agile in combat, and she has also been described as "busty." While we will have to wait on her exact appearance, it's clear that it's not her strength or her will that sees her removed from the Ginyu Force in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. It's her "detestable team pose."
Perhaps the most iconic thing about the Ginyu Force is their fondness for ridiculous team poses, which fans can expect to see in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Their signature fighting pose sees each member shout their name, strike a particular pose (in the exact order of Recoome, Burter, Jeice, Guldo, and Ginyu), and then shouting "Together We Are The GINYU FORCE," with the name being done so in unison.
What this likely means is that Bonyu somehow clashed with the team concerning the fighting pose and was likely the odd woman out when it comes to putting together a sync'd declaration. This may translate to some spurned revenge arc concerning Bonyu's character in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but since she willing served under Frieza, we still wouldn't expect her to be one of the good guys, at least in the beginning.
Her character arc remains to be seen, and whether she transitions from a bad guy to a good one is up in the air. However, this reveal about Bonyu, as well as the aforementioned original story arc between Android 16 and Gohan, suggests that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot isn't concerned about new territory. Bandai Namco has touted this Dragon Ball Z game as the most in-depth exploration of Goku's life than any game prior, but it also seems that there are a ton of new threads being introduced.
This, alongside the introduction of Bonyu, likely serves to add some replayability to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. It's unknown if these new story arcs, the interesting driving and fishing mini-games, and the in-depth exploration of lore will be enough to break the franchise fatigue, but for now, the game's fanbase seems renewed by recent reveals.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is set to release in early 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.